Durst to unveil addition to Rho 500R super-wide series
A spokesman said the latest addition to Durst’s Rho 500R Series printers, which are able to print three 1.6m rolls in seperate print queues, would blend the models’ small drop size with high productivity. Further details were not revealed but he said it would be commercially available at the show next week. “It’s very similar to the 500 series and all I can say is it is even higher quality, so you can draw your own conclusions. It is highly productive but ultra high quality so things like backlits are now very possible on a super-wide format printer.” Also on show will be the Rho 1000 Series high-end flatbed printers, unveiled in the USA and mainland Europe in April, he said. “Featured on the stand will be the Rho 1012 with a small drop size of only 12 picolitres which provides high resolution printing while maintaining a productivity of up to 490m² per hour at 1000dpi.” He added: “Visitors will see the latest addition to our Rhotex textile printers. Meanwhile Durst Variodrop and Greyscale will be featured in the Rho P10 Series of printers. The new Variodrop technology provides up to 25% increase in output. “Our application of inkjet technology to industrial applications can be seen with the IP engine, which is a high-speed inkjet engine ideally suited for integration into automated production lines. “It will print directly onto the widest range of media and typical industrial applications including touch panels, tachometer and manometer displays, as well as membrane switches and instrument panels.” Finally, Durst will highlight options for digital interior decoration. Kit is capable of tackling virtually all surfaces within a building’s interior including wallpaper, wood flooring, home textiles, glass and ceramics, he said....
read moreNew J-Teck3 inks target banners and sportswear printers
J-Cube RF40 and KF40 are both available in CMYK and meet the demand for inks to “suit a new generation of printheads”, said the company. The water-based piezo inks in 5kg and 25kg containers will be commercially available at the show. J-Cube RF40 is for use on printers equipped with Ricoh printing heads, while J-Cube KF40 can be used on kit fitted with Kyocera printing heads, said the company, which specialises in digital inks for textile and graphic applications. Business operations manager Rosaria Pozzoni said: “The inks can go on coated paper and direct on to polyester. All the new machines equipped with Kyocera or Ricoh printheads can use the inks.” She said the inks were for powerful industrial digital printers and were targeted at printers of sports kits and those producing banners and flags. She did not give costs and said her company was lining up dealerships in the UK. J-Teck3 was formed in 2003 and is run by technical and production manager Enrico Grasselli, sales and marketing manager Italo Mariani and business operations manager Rosaria Pozzoni, with backgrounds in the screen printing and textile fields. The firm is based in Albese con Cassano in Italy, but has a presence in the US, Australia and Brazil. Other products include J-Feeder, a bulk feeding system for piezo printers and EPS System for direct-to-textile, double-sided printing....
read moreAntalis to acquire Xerox’s office paper distribution division in Western Europe
The deal, which first has to be approved by the European Commission, will give Antalis exclusive rights to market and distribute Xerox-branded office paper and digital substrates across Western Europe, including the UK. It does not affect Xerox’s consumables products such as toners, inks and replacement cartridges. The office paper business employs around 280 people across 16 countries. Although the deal is not expected to be finalised until Q4 2013, “usual HR procedures” with the workers councils have started, according to a statement from Antalis. David Hunter, managing director of Antalis UK, Ireland and Southern Africa said: “At this stage, we can only confirm that Antalis has made a binding offer to acquire Xerox’s office paper distribution business in Western Europe. Until the acquisition has been approved and completed, which should be finalised early in the fourth quarter of 2013, we are unable to share any specific details with you.” “What I can say is that this is exciting news for Antalis UK. It offers the potential for us to further expand our product portfolio with the highly renowned global brand to offer even greater choice to our customers. “It also presents an opportunity for us to gain access to new sales networks and strategic partnerships, which can only be good news for Antalis UK. We are therefore very excited about this news and will ensure to keep you updated when we can.” Pascal Lebard chief executive of Antalis and French parent firm, Sequana, said that playing an active role in the consolidation of the office paper distribution market would give Antalis “critical mass” in the sector and double both its volumes and sales. He added: “This acquisition in a competitive market where size is key will allow Antalis to strengthen its legacy business, maximize cash flow generation and improve profitability”. The company said the acquisition would also allow them to bring new skills into the group and improve profitability and operating efficiency. The announcement follows the sale earlier this year of Xerox’s US and Canadian paper business....
read moreAntalis to acquire Xerox’s office paper distribution division in Western Europe
The deal, which first has to be approved by the European Commission, will give Antalis exclusive rights to market and distribute Xerox-branded office paper and digital substrates across Western Europe, including the UK. It does not affect Xerox’s consumables products such as toners, inks and replacement cartridges. The office paper business employs around 280 people across 16 countries. Although the deal is not expected to be finalised until Q4 2013, “usual HR procedures” with the workers councils have started, according to a statement from Antalis. David Hunter, managing director of Antalis UK, Ireland and Southern Africa said: “At this stage, we can only confirm that Antalis has made a binding offer to acquire Xerox’s office paper distribution business in Western Europe. Until the acquisition has been approved and completed, which should be finalised early in the fourth quarter of 2013, we are unable to share any specific details with you.” “What I can say is that this is exciting news for Antalis UK. It offers the potential for us to further expand our product portfolio with the highly renowned global brand to offer even greater choice to our customers. “It also presents an opportunity for us to gain access to new sales networks and strategic partnerships, which can only be good news for Antalis UK. We are therefore very excited about this news and will ensure to keep you updated when we can.” Pascal Lebard chief executive of Antalis and French parent firm, Sequana, said that playing an active role in the consolidation of the office paper distribution market would give Antalis “critical mass” in the sector and double both its volumes and sales. He added: “This acquisition in a competitive market where size is key will allow Antalis to strengthen its legacy business, maximize cash flow generation and improve profitability”. The company said the acquisition would also allow them to bring new skills into the group and improve profitability and operating efficiency. The announcement follows the sale earlier this year of Xerox’s US and Canadian paper business....
read moreScreen to launch superfast UV digital label press
The Truepress Jet L350UV, previewed at last year’s Drupa, is billed as the fastest digital label press currently available, at over 16sqm of label stock a minute on a 350mm web. It offers photo-realistic quality, fast turnarounds and stable output. “Standout features include speed – 50m per minute – in a single pass, so it offers high speed and quality,” said a spokeswoman. “It’s highly reliable; users want maximum uptime from these printers for a rapid return on investment. According to the manufacturer the new kit creates smooth, vivid gradations and is based on Screen’s Equios workflow, while Screen’s proprietary high-definition UV inks provide a wider colour gamut than is typical with the four-colour process, it claims. Optional opaque white ink is available and the kit is able to print on to transparent film and metallic foil. The 600 x 600dpi press has single-pass greyscale piezo printheads with a minimum droplet size of 3 picolitres. Vice president of solutions and technology Tim Taylor said: “This will be a draw to people already producing labels digitally such as Indigo users. They will be excited by inkjets, as they understand the value of short run, personalisation and print on demand. Rival kit includes machines by Domino, Durst and, to a point, EFI.” The Truepress Jet L350UV will cost around £513,000 (€600,000) and is engineered as a roll-to-roll press for near-line finishing, or to feature automated in-line finishing such as lamination, die-cutting, foiling, coating and embossing. President for Screen Europe Brian Filler said: “This is a superb digital press designed to meet the needs of the market to produce highly competitive high-quality, high-value labels.” Meanwhile Screen Europe has appointed Dantex to sell new Truepress Jet L350UV in the UK, Austria, Benelux, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Switzerland and Turkey. The first European showing will be at Labelexpo from 24 to 27 September in Brussels. Chairman Richard Danon said: “This allows us to extend expertise and guidance to all our customers who are interested in digital printing without the loss of speed, quality or reliability.”...
read moreKodak proposes $406m rights issue
The revised plan includes a new proposal, which is subject to court approval, for a $406m (£259m) rights issue involving shares in the ‘new’ Kodak. The issue of 34m shares will equate to around 85% of the new entity. If approved, the ‘Backstop Commitment Agreement’ will allow Kodak to settle its obligations with various key creditors, according to a statement from chief executive Antonio Perez. The proposal is being supported by Kodak’s committee of unsecured creditors, who are owed some $2.7bn, and is being backed by a number of the group’s major creditors: GSO Capital Partners, BlueMountain Capital, George Karfunkel, United Equities Group and Contrarian Capital. Kodak filed its initial Chapter 11 emergence plan last month. It plans to create profitable revenue streams from a number of key technologies, including Stream inkjet and SquareSpot imaging tech. Kodak aims to emerge from Chapter 11 protection in the third quarter. The filing also states that Kodak’s board of directors upon emergence will consist of nine directors: an [unnamed] chief executive, six directors designated by the backstop parties and including James Continenza (who joined the board in April), and two directors selected by the creditors’ committee. Kodak received a substantial vote of confidence earlier this month from major UK customer St Ives, which agreed a five-year supply deal with the company....
read moreScreen to launch superfast UV digital label press
The Truepress Jet L350UV, previewed at last year’s Drupa, is billed as the fastest digital label press currently available, at over 16sqm of label stock a minute on a 350mm web. It offers photo-realistic quality, fast turnarounds and stable output. “Standout features include speed – 50m per minute – in a single pass, so it offers high speed and quality,” said a spokeswoman. “It’s highly reliable; users want maximum uptime from these printers for a rapid return on investment. According to the manufacturer the new kit creates smooth, vivid gradations and is based on Screen’s Equios workflow, while Screen’s proprietary high-definition UV inks provide a wider colour gamut than is typical with the four-colour process, it claims. Optional opaque white ink is available and the kit is able to print on to transparent film and metallic foil. The 600 x 600dpi press has single-pass greyscale piezo printheads with a minimum droplet size of 3 picolitres. Vice president of solutions and technology Tim Taylor said: “This will be a draw to people already producing labels digitally such as Indigo users. They will be excited by inkjets, as they understand the value of short run, personalisation and print on demand. Rival kit includes machines by Domino, Durst and, to a point, EFI.” The Truepress Jet L350UV will cost around £513,000 (€600,000) and is engineered as a roll-to-roll press for near-line finishing, or to feature automated in-line finishing such as lamination, die-cutting, foiling, coating and embossing. President for Screen Europe Brian Filler said: “This is a superb digital press designed to meet the needs of the market to produce highly competitive high-quality, high-value labels.” Meanwhile Screen Europe has appointed Dantex to sell new Truepress Jet L350UV in the UK, Austria, Benelux, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Switzerland and Turkey. The first European showing will be at Labelexpo from 24 to 27 September in Brussels. Chairman Richard Danon said: “This allows us to extend expertise and guidance to all our customers who are interested in digital printing without the loss of speed, quality or reliability.”...
read moreKodak proposes $406m rights issue
The revised plan includes a new proposal, which is subject to court approval, for a $406m (£259m) rights issue involving shares in the ‘new’ Kodak. The issue of 34m shares will equate to around 85% of the new entity. If approved, the ‘Backstop Commitment Agreement’ will allow Kodak to settle its obligations with various key creditors, according to a statement from chief executive Antonio Perez. The proposal is being supported by Kodak’s committee of unsecured creditors, who are owed some $2.7bn, and is being backed by a number of the group’s major creditors: GSO Capital Partners, BlueMountain Capital, George Karfunkel, United Equities Group and Contrarian Capital. Kodak filed its initial Chapter 11 emergence plan last month. It plans to create profitable revenue streams from a number of key technologies, including Stream inkjet and SquareSpot imaging tech. Kodak aims to emerge from Chapter 11 protection in the third quarter. The filing also states that Kodak’s board of directors upon emergence will consist of nine directors: an [unnamed] chief executive, six directors designated by the backstop parties and including James Continenza (who joined the board in April), and two directors selected by the creditors’ committee. Kodak received a substantial vote of confidence earlier this month from major UK customer St Ives, which agreed a five-year supply deal with the company....
read moreCanon launches new Océ UV flatbed range
The four new models – the Océ Arizona 640 GT, Océ Arizona 640 XT, Océ Arizona 660 GT and Océ Arizona 660 XT – all offer 25% higher production speeds than the equivalent Océ Arizona 550 series they replace. The printers feature Océ’s VariaDot technology and will be priced between £170,000 and £250,000. GT models have a standard table size of 1.25×2.5 metres, the XT printers 2.5×3.05 metres. Both formats can be can be configured with a role-to-roll option. The 660 models also offer six independent ink channels which can be used to add additional cyan and magenta inks for enhanced quality at high production speeds, or to introduce varnish and white ink for decorative applications. White ink configurations include ‘Varnish + White’ for printing white on non-white substrates, or ‘Double-Opacity White’ to achieve strong opacity in a single printing pass. Océ Arizona 640 models will be field upgradable to six-channel 660 models. Dominic Fahy, business group director of display graphics and imaging supplies at Canon UK, said that European and North American beta test users have so far been using the series for a wide range of applications. “Retail is the biggest one. But we are also seeing it used for poster printing and, because of the quality, photographic applications,” he said. He added that potential users would range from those wanting to upgrade an existing Arizona or other lower productivity flatbed printer, to screen and litho printers new to the flatbed market. Fahy reported that one Océ Arizona 600 Series model had so far been ordered by an unnamed digital retail printer in London. He said that, with the series becoming commercially available at the end of July, Canon was expecting several more on-stand orders at Fespa. “What sets this series apart is that the cost of ownership is very competitive and the quality is high,” said Fahy. “The reliability of the system is also high. Arizonas are produced in high numbers compared to competitor systems, so they are at a later stage of evolution.”...
read morePaperlinx closes technical services department
“We’ve looked at technical services, as I think a lot of other people have already, and it was felt that we could get better value support from the mills and, where necessary, third-parties,” said Paperlinx UK managing director Phil Carr. According to Carr the division was primarily focussed on testing new products for internal quality control purposes, rather than a customer support function. He added that it made sense for the company, which last month rebranded its merchanting divisions as Paperlinx, to focus on investing in services that add customer value, such as the recently launched ‘printers’ webstores’, rather those that just add costs. “Originally it was a service that Robert Horne had for a long time for when different grades and qualities of papers could be dramatically different, with different characteristics from each mill. Quality and consistency has moved on dramatically in recent years and the mills have their own technical capability themselves now,” said Carr. He added that customer’s technical questions would continue to be fielded by technical sales staff and, when needed, the mills themselves. A consultation with the technical services department was launched in early May, with the decision to close the department finalised on 10 June. Six positions were made redundant as a result of the closure. “I appreciate it’s disappointing for the staff affected, especially those that have been with us for a long time, but the world is changing and the quality and consistency of the paper we sell has improved beyond all recognition in the past 20 years,” said Carr....
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